Introductory material (continued 24)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 645,500 (1999)

Telephone system: general assessment: poor domestic service, but improving

domestic: 90% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is mostly microwave radio relay, with some fiber-optic cable; about one-third of exchange capacity is digital; roughly 3,300 villages have no service

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital, international, direct-dial exchanges operate in Bucharest; note - Romania is an active participant in several international telecommunication network projects (1999)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 40, FM 202, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios: 7.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 48 (plus 392 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions: 5.25 million (1997)

Internet country code: .ro

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 38 (2000)

Internet users: 600,000 (2000)

Romania Transportation

Railways: total: 11,385 km (3,888 km electrified)

standard gauge: 10,898 km

narrow gauge: 487 km (1996)

Highways: total: 153,359 km

paved: 103,671 km (including 133 km of expressways)

unpaved: 49,688 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: 1,724 km (1984)

Pipelines: crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea

Merchant marine: total: 95 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 695,227 GRT/931,598 DWT

ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 71, container 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 62 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 25

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 10

1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 37

1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

914 to 1,523 m: 12

under 914 m: 23 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Romania Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,899,536 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,962,807 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 179,951 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $720 million (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY00)

Romania Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe

======================================================================

@Russia

Russia Introduction

Background: The defeat of the Russian Empire in World War I led to the seizure of power by the communists and the formation of the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1924-53) strengthened Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the communist period.

Russia Geography

Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 17,075,200 sq km

land: 16,995,800 sq km

water: 79,400 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the US

Land boundaries: total: 19,961 km

border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,485 km, Norway 167 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576 km

Coastline: 37,653 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m

highest point: Gora El'brus 5,633 m

Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber

note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources

Land use: arable land: 8%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 4%

forests and woodland: 46%

other: 42% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula

Environment - current issues: air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and sea coasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; ground water contamination from toxic waste

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture

Russia People

Population: 145,470,197 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.41% (male 12,915,026; female 12,405,341)

15-64 years: 69.78% (male 49,183,000; female 52,320,962)

65 years and over: 12.81% (male 5,941,944; female 12,703,924) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.35% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 9.35 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 13.85 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female

total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 20.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.34 years

male: 62.12 years

female: 72.83 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.18% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 850 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Russian(s)

adjective: Russian

Ethnic groups: Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1%

Religions: Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other

Languages: Russian, other

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: 100%

female: 97% (1989 est.)

Russia Government

Country name: conventional long form: Russian Federation

conventional short form: Russia

local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya

local short form: Rossiya

former: Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

Government type: federation

Capital: Moscow

Administrative divisions: 49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics* (respublik, singular - respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (singular - gorod)****, and 1 autonomous oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast'); Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy (Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya, Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya, Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya, Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*, Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya (Nazran')*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzhskaya, Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya, Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy (Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi (Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy (Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***, Krasnoyarskiy***, Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya, Magadanskaya, Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*, Moskovskaya, Moskva (Moscow)****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar'yan-Mar)**, Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya, Orenburgskaya, Orlovskaya (Orel), Penzenskaya, Permskaya, Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***, Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutsk)*, Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg (Saint Petersburg)****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya [North Ossetia] (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***, Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*, Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya, Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-Ordynskiy Buryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya, Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**, Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note - when using a place name with an adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy,' the word Oblast' or Avonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name

note: the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetiya were formerly the autonomous republic of Checheno-Ingushetia (the boundary between Chechnya and Ingushetia has yet to be determined); administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Russia Day, 12 June (1990)

Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993

Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (acting president since 31 December 1999, president since 7 May 2000)

head of government: Premier Mikhail Mikhaylovich KASYANOV (since 7 May 2000); First Deputy Premier Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 18 May 2000), Deputy Premiers Aleksey Vasilyevich GORDEYEV (since 20 May 2000), Viktor Borisovich KHRISTENKO (since 31 May 1999), Ilya Iosifovich KLEBANOV (since 31 May 1999), Valentina Ivanovna MATVIYENKO (since 22 September 1998)

cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and other agency heads; all are appointed by the president

note: there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president

elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 March 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma

election results: Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN elected president; percent of vote - PUTIN 52.9%, Gennadiy Aadreyevich ZYUGANOV 29.2%, Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY 5.8%

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; half elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 5% of the vote, and half from single-member constituencies; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: State Duma - last held 19 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2003)

election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats - KPRF 24.29%, Unity 23.32%, OVR 13.33%, Union of Right Forces 8.52%, LDPR 5.98%, Yabloko 5.93%; seats by party - KPRF 113, Unity 72, OVR 67, Union of Rightist Forces 29, LDPR 17, Yabloko 21, other 16, independents 106, repeat election required 8, vacant 1

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of Arbitration; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president

Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party [Mikhail Ivanovich LAPSHIN]; Communist Party of the Russian Federation or KPRF [Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Fatherland-All Russia or OVR [Yuriy Mikhailovich LUZHKOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Union of Right Forces [Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS, Yegor Timurovich GAYDAR, Irina Mutsuovna KHAKAMADA, Boris Yefimovich NEMTSOV]; Unity [Sergey Kuzhugetovich SHOYGU]; Yabloko Bloc [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY]

note: some 150 political parties, blocs, and movements registered with the Justice Ministry as of the 19 December 1998 deadline to be eligible to participate in the 19 December 1999 Duma elections; of these, 36 political organizations actually qualified to run slates of candidates on the Duma party list ballot, 6 parties cleared the 5% threshold to win a proportional share of the 225 party seats in the Duma, 9 other organizations hold seats in the Duma: Bloc of Nikolayev and Academician Fedorov, Congress of Russian Communities, Movement in Support of the Army, Our Home Is Russia, Party of Pensioners, Power to the People, Russian All-People's Union, Russian Socialist Party, and Spiritual Heritage; primary political blocs include pro-market democrats - (Yabloko Bloc and Union of Right Forces), anti-market and/or ultranationalist (Communist Party of the Russian Federation and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia)

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: APEC, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, G- 8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV

chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708

FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735

consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James F. COLLINS

embassy: Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, 121099 Moscow

mailing address: APO AE 09721

telephone: [7] (095) 728-5000

FAX: [7] (095) 728-5203

consulate(s) general: Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

Russia Economy

Economy - overview: A decade after the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia is still struggling to establish a modern market economy and achieve strong economic growth. In contrast to its trading partners in Central Europe - which were able to overcome the initial production declines that accompanied the launch of market reforms within three to five years - Russia saw its economy contract for five years, as the executive and legislature dithered over the implementation of many of the basic foundations of a market economy. Russia achieved a slight recovery in 1997, but the government's stubborn budget deficits and the country's poor business climate made it vulnerable when the global financial crisis swept through in 1998. The crisis culminated in the August depreciation of the ruble, a debt default by the government, and a sharp deterioration in living standards for most of the population. The economy rebounded in 1999 and 2000, buoyed by the competitive boost from the weak ruble and a surging trade surplus fueled by rising world oil prices. This recovery, along with a renewed government effort in 2000 to advance lagging structural reforms, have raised business and investor confidence over Russia's prospects in its second decade of transition. Yet serious problems persist. Russia remains heavily dependent on exports of commodities, particularly oil, natural gas, metals, and timber, which account for over 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's agricultural sector remains beset by uncertainty over land ownership rights, which has discouraged needed investment and restructuring. Another threat is negative demographic trends, fueled by low birth rates and a deteriorating health situation - including an alarming rise in AIDS cases - that have contributed to a nearly 2% drop in the population since 1992. Russia's industrial base is increasingly dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve sustainable economic growth. Other problems include widespread corruption, capital flight, and brain drain.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.12 trillion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 6.3% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 7%

industry: 34%

services: 59% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: 40% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.7%

highest 10%: 38.7% (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20.6% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 66 million (1997)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 15%, industry 30%, services 55% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 10.5% (2000 est.), plus considerable underemployment

Budget: revenues: $40 billion

expenditures: $33.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: 8.8% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 798.065 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 66.31%

hydro: 19.79%

nuclear: 13.9%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 728.2 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 20 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 6 billion kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk

Exports: $105.1 billion (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures

Exports - partners: US 8.8%, Germany 8.5%, Ukraine 6.5%, Belarus 5.1%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 4.8% (1999)

Imports: $44.2 billion (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, grain, sugar, semifinished metal products

Imports - partners: Germany 13.8%, Belarus 10.7%, Ukraine 8.3%, US 7.9%, Kazakhstan 4.6%, Italy 3.8% (1999)

Debt - external: $163 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $8.523 billion (1995)

Currency: Russian ruble (RUR)

Currency code: RUR

Exchange rates: Russian rubles per US dollar - 28.3592 (January 2001), 28.1292 (2000), 24.6199 (1999), 9.7051 (1998), 5,785 (1997), 5,121 (1996)

note: the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1 January 1998 rubles

Fiscal year: calendar year

Russia Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 30 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.5 million (October 2000)

Telephone system: general assessment: the telephone system has undergone significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied

domestic: cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density

international: Russia is connected internationally by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems

Radio broadcast stations: AM 420, FM 447, shortwave 56 (1998)

Radios: 61.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 7,306 (1998)

Televisions: 60.5 million (1997)

Internet country code: .ru

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 35 (2000)

Internet users: 9.2 million (2000)

Russia Transportation

Railways: total: 149,000 km

note: 86,000 km are in common carrier service; 63,000 km serve specific industries and are not available for common carrier use; 40,000 km of the railway in common carrier use are electrified

broad gauge: 149,000 km 1.520-m gauge (1998)

Highways: total: 952,000 km

paved: 752,000 km (including, in addition to about 336,000 km of conventionally paved roads, about 416,000 km of roads, the surfaces of which have been stabilized with gravel or other coarse aggregates, making them trafficable in wet weather)

unpaved: 200,000 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1998)

Waterways: 95,900 km (total routes in general use)

note: routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet-95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids-60,400 km; man-made navigable routes-16,900 km (Jan 1994)

Pipelines: crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km; natural gas 140,000 km (June 1993 est.)

Ports and harbors: Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Kaliningrad, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka, Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Saint Petersburg, Rostov, Sochi, Tuapse, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg

Merchant marine: total: 878 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,314,485 GRT/5,344,958 DWT

ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 20, cargo 543, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 7, container 31, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 35, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 164, refrigerated cargo 24, roll on/roll off 17, short-sea passenger 7

note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Reunion 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 2,743 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 471

over 3,047 m: 56

2,438 to 3,047 m: 178

1,524 to 2,437 m: 76

914 to 1,523 m: 69

under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2,272

over 3,047 m: 28

2,438 to 3,047 m: 118

1,524 to 2,437 m: 204

914 to 1,523 m: 324

under 914 m: 1,598 (2000 est.)

Russia Military

Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Strategic Rocket Forces

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 38,866,147 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 30,337,743 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 1,242,778 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Russia Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: dispute over at least two small sections of the boundary with China remains to be settled, despite 1997 boundary agreement; islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996, which has not been signed or ratified by Russia as of February 2001; draft treaty delimiting the boundary with Latvia has not been signed; 1997 border agreement with Lithuania not yet ratified; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia

Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of amphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, possibly to the US, and growing domestic market; major source of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are major concerns; heroin an increasing threat in domestic drug market

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@Rwanda

Rwanda Introduction

Background: In 1959, three years before independence, the majority ethnic group, the Hutus overthrew the ruling Tutsi king. Over the next several years thousands of Tutsis were killed, and some 150,000 driven into exile in neighboring countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and began a civil war in 1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals, exacerbated ethnic tensions culminating in April 1994 in the genocide of roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. The Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees - many fearing Tutsi retribution - fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC). Since then most of the refugees have returned to Rwanda. Despite substantial international assistance and political reforms - including Rwanda's first local elections in March 1999 - the country continues to struggle to boost investment and agricultural output and to foster reconciliation. A series of massive population displacements, a nagging Hutu extremist insurgency, and Rwandan involvement in two wars over the past four years in the neighboring DROC continue to hinder Rwanda's efforts.

Rwanda Geography

Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 26,338 sq km

land: 24,948 sq km

water: 1,390 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: total: 893 km

border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m

highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, arable land

Land use: arable land: 35%

permanent crops: 13%

permanent pastures: 18%

forests and woodland: 22%

other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Environment - current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban

signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: landlocked; predominantly rural population

Rwanda People

Population: 7,312,756

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.4% (male 1,555,878; female 1,544,942)

15-64 years: 54.73% (male 1,989,501; female 2,013,012)

65 years and over: 2.87% (male 83,769; female 125,654) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.16% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 33.97 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 21.13 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 118.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 38.99 years

male: 38.35 years

female: 39.65 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.89 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 11.21% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 400,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 40,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Rwandan(s)

adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups: Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 52.7%, Protestant 24%, Adventist 10.4%, Muslim 1.9%, indigenous beliefs and other 6.5%, none 4.5% (1996)

Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 48%

male: 52%

female: 45% (1995 est.)

Rwanda Government

Country name: conventional long form: Rwandese Republic

conventional short form: Rwanda

local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda

local short form: Rwanda

former: Ruanda

Government type: republic; presidential, multiparty system

Capital: Kigali

Administrative divisions: 12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; in Kinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri

Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Constitution: on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted as Fundamental Law the constitution of 18 June 1991, provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord, the July 1994 Declaration by the Rwanda Patriotic Front, and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding

Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal adult

Executive branch: chief of state: President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (FPR) (since 22 April 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Bernard MAKUZA (since 8 March 2000)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections: normally the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; special election for new president by deputies of the National Assembly and governmental ministers held 17 April 2000 (next national election to be held NA 2003); prime minister is appointed by the president

election results: Paul KAGAME (FPR) elected president in a special parliamentary/ministerial ballot receiving 81 of a possible 86 votes

Legislative branch: unicameral Transitional National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale de Transition (a power-sharing body with 70 seats established on 12 December 1994 following a multiparty protocol of understanding; members were named by their parties, number of seats per party predetermined by the Arusha peace accord)

note: four additional seats, two for women and two for youth, added in 2001

elections: the last national legislative elections were held 16 December 1988 for the National Development Council (the legislature prior to the advent of the Transitional National Assembly); no elections have been held for the Transitional National Assembly as the distribution of seats was predetermined by the Arusha peace accord

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FPR 13, MDR 13, PSD 13, PL 13, PDC 6, RPA 6, PSR 2, PDI 2, UDPR 2; note - the distribution of seats was predetermined, four additional seats (two for women and two for youth) added in 2001

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; communal courts; appeals courts

Political parties and leaders: Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Jean-Nipomuscene NAYINZIRA]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Charles NTAKIRUTINKA, Vincent BIRUTA, Augusin IYAMUREMYE]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA, Emile NTWARABAKIGA, Christian MARARA]; Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Pie MUGABO, Enock KABERA, Prosper MUGIRANEZA]; Rwanda Patriotic Army or RPA [Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME, commander]; Rwanda Patriotic Front or FPR [Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME]; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR [Medard RUTIJANWA]

Political pressure groups and leaders: IBUKA - association of genocide survivors

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard SEZIBERA

chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882

FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador George M. STAPLES

embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali

mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali

telephone: [250] 756 01 through 03, 721 26, 771 47

FAX: [250] 721 28

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band

Rwanda Economy

Economy - overview: Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely populated country in Africa; is landlocked; and has few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary exports are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and external investment. However, Rwanda has made significant progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has been curbed. In June 1998, Rwanda signed an Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) with the IMF. Rwanda has also embarked upon an ambitious privatization program with the World Bank. Continued growth in 2001 depends on the maintenance of international aid levels and the strengthening of world prices of coffee and tea.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.4 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $900 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 40%

industry: 20%

services: 40% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 70% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 4.2%

highest 10%: 24.2% (1983-85)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2000)

Labor force: 3.6 million

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 90%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $198 million

expenditures: $411 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate: 8.7% (1998 est.)

Electricity - production: 132 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 3.03%

hydro: 96.97%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 191.8 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 1 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 70 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock

Exports: $68.4 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: coffee, tea, hides, tin ore

Exports - partners: Germany, Belgium, Pakistan, Italy, Kenya

Imports: $245.9 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material

Imports - partners: Kenya, Tanzania, US, Benelux, France, India

Debt - external: $1.3 billion (1999)

Economic aid - recipient: $591.5 million (1997); note - in summer 1998, Rwanda presented its policy objectives and development priorities to donor governments resulting in multiyear pledges in the amount of $250 million

Currency: Rwandan franc (RWF)

Currency code: RWF

Exchange rates: Rwandan francs per US dollar - 432.24 (January 2001), 389.70 (2000), 333.94 (1999) 312.31 (1998), 301.53 (1997), 306.82 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Rwanda Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 15,000 (1995)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

note: however, Rwanda has mobile cellular service between Kigali and several prefecture capitals (2000)

Telephone system: general assessment: telephone system primarily serves business and government

domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone

international: international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 3, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 601,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)

Televisions: NA; probably less than 1,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .rw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 1,000 (2000)

Rwanda Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 12,000 km

paved: 1,000 km

unpaved: 11,000 km (1997 est.)

Waterways: note: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft

Ports and harbors: Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye

Airports: 8 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 4

over 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Rwanda Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,815,633 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 924,544 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $58 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.2% (FY01)

Rwanda Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: Rwandan military forces are supporting the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

======================================================================

@Saint Helena

Saint Helena Introduction

Background: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, St. Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station.

Saint Helena Geography

Location: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way between South America and Africa

Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 42 W

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 410 sq km

land: 410 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes St. Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands

Area - comparative: slightly more than two times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 60 km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)

Terrain: Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains

note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use: arable land: 6%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 6%

forests and woodland: 6%

other: 82% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns

Saint Helena People

Population: 7,266 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 19.08% (male 699; female 687)

15-64 years: 71.72% (male 2,711; female 2,500)

65 years and over: 9.2% (male 286; female 383) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.72% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 13.49 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.33 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 22.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.01 years

male: 74.13 years

female: 80.04 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Saint Helenian(s)

adjective: Saint Helenian

Ethnic groups: African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%

Religions: Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic

Languages: English

Literacy: definition: age 20 and over can read and write

total population: 97%

male: 97%

female: 98% (1987 est.)

Saint Helena Government

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Saint Helena

Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK

Government type: NA

Capital: Jamestown

Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution: 1 January 1989

Legal system: NA

Suffrage: NA years of age

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)

head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David HOLLAMBY (since NA June 1999)

cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (15 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 9 July 1997 (next to be held NA August 2001)

election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court

Political parties and leaders: none

Political pressure groups and leaders: none

International organization participation: ICFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship

Saint Helena Economy

Economy - overview: The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.2% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 3,500 (1998 est.)

note: 1,200 of whom are working offshore

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $11.2 million

expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)

Industries: construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 5.6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)

Exports: $704,000 (f.o.b., 1995)

Exports - commodities: fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts

Exports - partners: South Africa, UK

Imports: $14.434 million (c.i.f., 1995)

Imports - commodities: food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts

Imports - partners: UK, South Africa

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid - recipient: $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)

Currency: Saint Helenian pound (SHP)

Currency code: SHP

Exchange rates: Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6047 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); note - the Saint Helenian pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Saint Helena Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 2,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: can communicate with any place in the world

domestic: automatic network

international: HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK ; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 3,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)

Televisions: 2,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .sh

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: NA

Communications - note: Gough Island has a meteorological station

Saint Helena Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 158 km (Saint Helena 118 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 0 km)

paved: 138 km (Saint Helena 98km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 0 km)

unpaved: NA km 20 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 0 km)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Airports: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1

over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Saint Helena Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Saint Helena Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

======================================================================

@Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Kitts and Nevis Introduction

Background: First settled by the British in 1623, the islands became an associated state with full internal autonomy in 1967. The island of Anguilla rebelled and was allowed to secede in 1971. Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved independence in 1983. In 1998, a vote in Nevis on a referendum to separate from Saint Kitts fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.

Saint Kitts and Nevis Geography

Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, about one-third of the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 17 20 N, 62 45 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 261 sq km (Saint Kitts 168 sq km; Nevis 93 sq km)

land: 261 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 135 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

territorial sea: 12 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate: tropical tempered by constant sea breezes; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain: volcanic with mountainous interiors

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Liamuiga 1,156 m

Natural resources: arable land

Land use: arable land: 22%

permanent crops: 17%

permanent pastures: 3%

forests and woodland: 17%

other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: hurricanes (July to October)

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Saint Kitts and Nevis People

Population: 38,756 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.84% (male 5,909; female 5,654)

15-64 years: 61.37% (male 11,870; female 11,915)

65 years and over: 8.79% (male 1,406; female 2,002) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.11% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 18.78 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 9.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -10.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.01 years

male: 68.22 years

female: 73.97 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.41 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Kittitian(s), Nevisian(s)

adjective: Kittitian, Nevisian

Ethnic groups: predominantly black some British, Portuguese, and Lebanese

Religions: Anglican, other Protestant, Roman Catholic

Languages: English

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 97%

male: 97%

female: 98% (1980 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis Government

Country name: conventional long form: Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis

conventional short form: Saint Kitts and Nevis

former: Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis

Government type: constitutional monarchy with Westminster-style parliament

Capital: Basseterre

Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Christ Church Nichola Town, Saint Anne Sandy Point, Saint George Basseterre, Saint George Gingerland, Saint James Windward, Saint John Capisterre, Saint John Figtree, Saint Mary Cayon, Saint Paul Capisterre, Saint Paul Charlestown, Saint Peter Basseterre, Saint Thomas Lowland, Saint Thomas Middle Island, Trinity Palmetto Point

Independence: 19 September 1983 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 19 September (1983)

Constitution: 19 September 1983

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Perlette LOUISY (since September 1997)

head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS (since 6 July 1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sam CONDOR (since 6 July 1995)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general in consultation with the prime minister

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (14 seats, 3 appointed and 11 popularly elected from single-member constituencies; members serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 6 March 2000 (next to be held by July 2005)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SKNLP 8, CCM 2, NRP 1

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Kitts and Nevis)

Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Vance AMORY]; Nevis Reformation Party or NRP [Joseph PARRY]; People's Action Movement or PAM [Lindsey GRANT]; Saint Kitts and Nevis Labor Party or SKNLP [Dr. Denzil DOUGLAS]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Osbert W. LIBURD

chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone: [1] (202) 686-2636

FAX: [1] (202) 686-5740

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Kitts and Nevis; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Kitts and Nevis

Flag description: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side by a broad black band bearing two white, five-pointed stars; the black band is edged in yellow; the upper triangle is green, the lower triangle is red

Saint Kitts and Nevis Economy

Economy - overview: The economy has traditionally depended on the growing and processing of sugarcane; decreasing world prices have hurt the industry in recent years. Tourism, export-oriented manufacturing, and offshore banking activity have assumed larger roles. Most food is imported. The government has undertaken a program designed to revitalize the faltering sugar sector. It is also working to improve revenue collection in order to better fund social programs. In 1997 some leaders in Nevis were urging separation from Saint Kitts on the basis that Nevis was paying far more in taxes than it was receiving in government services, but the vote on cessation failed in August 1998. In late September 1998, Hurricane Georges caused approximately $445 million in damages and limited GDP growth for the year.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $274 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.5%

industry: 22.5%

services: 72% (1996)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 18,172 (June 1995)

Labor force - by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 4.5% (1997)

Budget: revenues: $64.1 million

expenditures: $73.3 million, including capital expenditures of $10.4 million (1997 est.)

Industries: sugar processing, tourism, cotton, salt, copra, clothing, footwear, beverages

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 90 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 83.7 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: sugarcane, rice, yams, vegetables, bananas; fish

Exports: $53.2 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: machinery, food, electronics, beverages, tobacco

Exports - partners: US 68.5%, UK 22.3%, Caricom countries 5.5% (1995 est.)

Imports: $151.5 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery, manufactures, food, fuels

Imports - partners: US 42.4%, Caricom countries 17.2%, UK 11.3% (1995 est.)

Debt - external: $115.1 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient: $5.5 million (1995)

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code: XCD

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Saint Kitts and Nevis Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 17,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 205 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: good interisland and international connections

domestic: interisland links to Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) are handled by VHF/UHF/SHF radiotelephone

international: international calls are carried by radiotelephone to Antigua and Barbuda and switched there to submarine cable or to Intelsat; or carried to Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) by radiotelephone and switched to Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 28,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 10,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .kn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)

Internet users: 2,000 (2000)

Saint Kitts and Nevis Transportation

Railways: total: 58 km

narrow gauge: 58 km 0.762-m gauge on Saint Kitts to serve sugarcane plantations (1995)

Highways: total: 320 km

paved: 136 km

unpaved: 184 km (2000)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Basseterre, Charlestown

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Airports: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Saint Kitts and Nevis Military

Military branches: Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Police Force, Coast Guard, Royal Saint Kitts and Nevis Defense Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Saint Kitts and Nevis Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe

======================================================================

@Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia Introduction

Background: The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.

Saint Lucia Geography

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 13 53 N, 60 68 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 620 sq km

land: 610 sq km

water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 158 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season from January to April, rainy season from May to August

Terrain: volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Gimie 950 m

Natural resources: forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential

Land use: arable land: 8%

permanent crops: 21%

permanent pastures: 5%

forests and woodland: 13%

other: 53% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes and volcanic activity

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Saint Lucia People

Population: 158,178 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.13% (male 25,951; female 24,874)

15-64 years: 62.59% (male 48,568; female 50,430)

65 years and over: 5.28% (male 3,120; female 5,235) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.23% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 21.8 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 5.36 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 15.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.57 years

male: 69 years

female: 76.39 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.38 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Saint Lucian(s)

adjective: Saint Lucian

Ethnic groups: black 90%, mixed 6%, East Indian 3%, white 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 7%, Anglican 3%

Languages: English (official), French patois

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 67%

male: 65%

female: 69% (1980 est.)

Saint Lucia Government

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Saint Lucia

Government type: Westminster-style parliamentary democracy

Capital: Castries

Administrative divisions: 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux Fort

Independence: 22 February 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 22 February (1979)

Constitution: 22 February 1979

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dr. Perlette LOUISY (since September 1997)

head of government: Prime Minister Kenneth ANTHONY (since 24 May 1997) and Deputy Prime Minister Mario MICHEL (since 24 May 1997)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Assembly - last held 23 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)

election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SLP 16, UWP 1

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders: National Freedom Party or NFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; United Workers Party or UWP [Dr. Morella JOSEPH]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACCT (associate), ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY

chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795

FAX: [1] (202) 364-6728

consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia

Flag description: blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border

Saint Lucia Economy

Economy - overview: The recent changes in the EU import preference regime and the increased competition from Latin American bananas have made economic diversification increasingly important in Saint Lucia. Improvement in the construction sector and growth of the tourism industry helped expand GDP in 1998-99. The agriculture sector registered its fifth year of decline in 1997 primarily because of a severe decline in banana production. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean, and the government is beginning to develop regulations for the small offshore financial sector.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $700 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 0.5% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.7%

industry: 32.3%

services: 57% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 43,800

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 43.4%, services 38.9%, industry and commerce 17.7% (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1996 est.)

Budget: revenues: $141.2 million

expenditures: $146.7 million, including capital expenditures of $25.1 million (FY97/98 est.)

Industries: clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism, lime processing, coconut processing

Industrial production growth rate: -8.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: 110 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 102.3 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa

Exports: $68.3 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil

Exports - partners: UK 50%, US 24%, Caricom countries 16% (1995)

Imports: $319.4 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels

Imports - partners: US 36%, Caricom countries 22%, UK 11%, Japan 5%, Canada 4% (1995)

Debt - external: $131.6 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient: $51.8 million (1995)

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code: XCD

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Saint Lucia Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 37,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,600 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system

domestic: system is automatically switched

international: direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados; international calls beyond these countries are carried by Intelsat from Martinique

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 7 (plus 3 repeaters), shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 111,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (of which two are commercial stations and one is a community antenna television or CATV channel) (1997)

Televisions: 32,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .lc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2000)

Internet users: 5,000 (2000)

Saint Lucia Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 1,210 km

paved: 63 km

unpaved: 1,147 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Castries, Vieux Fort

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Airports: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Saint Lucia Military

Military branches: Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $5 million (FY91/92)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2% (FY91/92)

Saint Lucia Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe

======================================================================

@Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Introduction

Background: First settled by the French in the early 17th century, the islands represent the sole remaining vestige of France's once vast North American possessions.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Geography

Location: Northern North America, islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, south of Newfoundland (Canada)

Geographic coordinates: 46 50 N, 56 20 W

Map references: North America

Area: total: 242 sq km

land: 242 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes eight small islands in the Saint Pierre and the Miquelon groups

Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 120 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: cold and wet, with much mist and fog; spring and autumn are windy

Terrain: mostly barren rock

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Morne de la Grande Montagne 240 m

Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports

Land use: arable land: 13%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 4%

other: 83% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: persistent fog throughout the year can be a maritime hazard

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: vegetation scanty

Saint Pierre and Miquelon People

Population: 6,928 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.85% (male 917; female 874)

15-64 years: 64.22% (male 2,273; female 2,176)

65 years and over: 9.93% (male 291; female 397) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.43% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 15.88 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.64 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.77 years

male: 75.51 years

female: 80.13 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.12 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)

adjective: French

Ethnic groups: Basques and Bretons (French fishermen)

Religions: Roman Catholic 99%

Languages: French

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 99% (1982 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Government

Country name: conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon

conventional short form: Saint Pierre and Miquelon

local long form: Departement de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

local short form: Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

Dependency status: self-governing territorial collectivity of France

Government type: NA

Capital: Saint-Pierre

Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of France); note - there are no first-order administrative divisions approved by the US Government, but there are two communes - Saint Pierre, Miquelon

Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France; has been under French control since 1763)

National holiday: Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French law with special adaptations for local conditions, such as housing and taxation

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Remi THUAU (since NA)

head of government: President of the General Council Bernard LE SOAVEC (since NA 1996)

cabinet: NA

elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 7 May 1995 (next to be held NA May 2002); prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the General Council is elected by the members of the council

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats - 15 from Saint Pierre and 4 from Miquelon; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections: elections last held NA April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2006)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA

note: Saint Pierre and Miquelon elect 1 seat to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1; Saint Pierre and Miquelon also elects 1 seat to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UDF 1

Judicial branch: Superior Tribunal of Appeals or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel

Political parties and leaders: Rassemblement pour la Republique or RPR [leader NA]; Socialist Party or PS [leader NA]; Union pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: FZ, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territorial collectivity of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territorial collectivity of France)

Flag description: a yellow sailing ship facing the hoist side rides on a dark blue background with a black wave line under the ship; on the hoist side, a vertical band is divided into three parts: the top part is red with a green diagonal cross extending to the corners overlaid by a white cross dividing the square into four sections; the middle part has a white background with an ermine pattern; the third part has a red background with two stylized yellow lions outlined in black, one on top of the other; the flag of France is used for official occasions

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Economy

Economy - overview: The inhabitants have traditionally earned their livelihood by fishing and by servicing fishing fleets operating off the coast of Newfoundland. The economy has been declining, however, because of disputes with Canada over fishing quotas and a steady decline in the number of ships stopping at Saint Pierre. In 1992, an arbitration panel awarded the islands an exclusive economic zone of 12,348 sq km to settle a longstanding territorial dispute with Canada, although it represents only 25% of what France had sought. The islands are heavily subsidized by France to the great betterment of living standards. The government hopes an expansion of tourism will boost economic prospects.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $74 million (1996 est.); supplemented by annual payments from France of about $60 million

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,000 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (1991-96 average)

Labor force: 3,000 (1997)

Labor force - by occupation: fishing 18%, industry (mainly fish-processing) 41%, services 41% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 9.8% (1997)

Budget: revenues: $70 million

expenditures: $60 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (1996 est.)

Industries: fish processing and supply base for fishing fleets; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 40 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 37.2 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: vegetables; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish

Exports: $12 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities: fish and fish products, soybeans, animal feed, mollusks and crustaceans, fox and mink pelts

Exports - partners: US 43%, Egypt 14%, Japan 11%, Colombia 8% (1999)

Imports: $55 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Imports - commodities: meat, clothing, fuel, electrical equipment, machinery, building materials

Imports - partners: France 44%, Canada 40% (1999)

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid - recipient: approximately $65 million in annual grants from France

Currency: French franc (FRF); euro (EUR)

Currency code: FRF; EUR

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.06594 (January 2001), 1.08540 (2000), 0.93863 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 4,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1994)

Telephone system: general assessment: adequate

domestic: NA

international: radiotelephone communication with most countries in the world; 1 earth station in French domestic satellite system

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 4,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 0 (there are, however, two repeaters which rebroadcast programs from France, Canada, and the US) (1997)

Televisions: 4,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .pm

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: NA

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 114 km

paved: 69 km

unpaved: 45 km (1994 est.)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Saint Pierre

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Airports: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France

Saint Pierre and Miquelon Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

======================================================================

@Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Introduction

Background: Disputed between France and Great Britain in the 18th century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969, and independence in 1979.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Geography

Location: Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago

Geographic coordinates: 13 15 N, 61 12 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km)

land: 389 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 84 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

continental shelf: 200 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November)

Terrain: volcanic, mountainous

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m

Natural resources: hydropower, cropland

Land use: arable land: 10%

permanent crops: 18%

permanent pastures: 5%

forests and woodland: 36%

other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat

Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines People

Population: 115,942 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 29.61% (male 17,466; female 16,865)

15-64 years: 64.04% (male 38,074; female 36,179)

65 years and over: 6.35% (male 3,162; female 4,196) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.4% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 17.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.56 years

male: 70.83 years

female: 74.34 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s)

adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian

Ethnic groups: black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2%

Religions: Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Hindu, other Protestant

Languages: English, French patois

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 96%

male: 96%

female: 96% (1970 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Government

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Government type: parliamentary democracy; independent sovereign state within the Commonwealth

Capital: Kingstown

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick

Independence: 27 October 1979 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1979)

Constitution: 27 October 1979

Legal system: based on English common law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 September 1989)

head of government: Prime Minister Ralph GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by NA March 2006)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)

Political parties and leaders: National Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU)

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ellsworth JOHN

chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016

telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730

FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Flag description: three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Economy

Economy - overview: Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector, based mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important. The government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new industries, and a high unemployment rate persists. The continuing dependence on a single crop represents the biggest obstacle to the islands' development; tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in both 1994 and 1995. The tourism sector has considerable potential for development over the next decade. Recent growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an improvement in tourism. There is a small manufacturing sector and a small offshore financial sector whose particularly restrictive secrecy laws have caused some international concern.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $322 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10.6%

industry: 17.5%

services: 71.9% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1999 est.)

Labor force: 67,000 (1984 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.)

Unemployment rate: 22% (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $85.7 million

expenditures: $98.6 million, including capital expenditures of $25.7 million (1997 est.)

Industries: food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch

Industrial production growth rate: -0.9% (1997 est.)

Electricity - production: 82 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 73.17%

hydro: 26.83%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 76.3 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish

Exports: $53.7 million (2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis racquets

Exports - partners: Caricom countries 49%, UK 16%, US 10% (1995)

Imports: $185.6 million (2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels

Imports - partners: US 36%, Caricom countries 28%, UK 13% (1995)

Debt - external: $99.3 million (1998)

Economic aid - recipient: $47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998)

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code: XCD

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 20,500 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: general assessment: adequate system

domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines

international: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 77,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus three repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 18,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .vc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 15 (2000)

Internet users: 2,000 (2000)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 1,040 km

paved: 320 km

unpaved: 720 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Kingstown

Merchant marine: total: 800 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,705,336 GRT/10,134,002 DWT

ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 131, cargo 395, chemical tanker 29, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 1, container 46, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 42, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 11, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 1

note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 4, Ireland 1, France 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 1, Croatia 10, India 1, Japan 2, Monaco 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Pakistan 1, Russia 1, Slovenia 5, UAE 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 6 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 5

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Military

Military branches: Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe

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@Samoa

Samoa Introduction

Background: New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.

Samoa Geography

Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 13 35 S, 172 20 W

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 2,860 sq km

land: 2,850 sq km

water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 403 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)

Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m

Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 19%

permanent crops: 24%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 47%

other: 10%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Environment - current issues: soil erosion

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Samoa People

Population: 179,058 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.88% (male 29,009; female 28,069)

15-64 years: 62.44% (male 70,491; female 41,304)

65 years and over: 5.68% (male 4,739; female 5,446) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.23% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 15.59 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.29 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -11.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.71 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female

total population: 1.39 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 31.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.5 years

male: 66.77 years

female: 72.37 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Samoan(s)

adjective: Samoan

Ethnic groups: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%

Religions: Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 97%

male: 97%

female: 97% (1971 est.)

Samoa Government

Country name: conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa

conventional short form: Samoa

former: Western Samoa

Government type: constitutional monarchy under native chief

Capital: Apia

Administrative divisions: 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

Independence: 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, 1 June 1962 is the date that independence is celebrated

Constitution: 1 January 1962

Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Chief Susuga MALIETOA Tanumafili II (cochief of state from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963)

head of government: Prime Minister TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi (since 24 November 1998); note - TUILA'EPA served as deputy prime minister since 1992; he assumed the prime ministership in November 1998 when former Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana resigned in poor health; the post of deputy prime minister is currently vacant

cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 members, appointed by the chief of state with the prime minister's advice

elections: upon the death of Chief Susuga MALIETOA Tanumafili II, a new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a five-year term; prime minister appointed by the chief of state with the approval of the Legislative Assembly

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats - 47 elected by Samoans, 2 elected by non-Samoans; only chiefs (matai) may stand for election to the Fono; members serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 4 March 2001 (next to be held by March 2006)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - HRPP 23, SNDP 13, independents 13

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi, chairman]; Samoa All People's Party or SAPP [Matatumua NAIMOAGA]; Samoan National Development Party or SNDP [TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman] (opposition); Samoa National Party [FETU Tiatia, party secretary]; Samoan Progressive Conservative Party [LEOTA Ituau Ale]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADE

chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017

telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197

FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Carol MOSELEY BRAUN (Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, resides in Wellington, New Zealand)

embassy: 5th floor, Beach Road, Apia

mailing address: P. O. Box 3430, Apia

telephone: [685] 21631

FAX: [685] 22030

Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation

Samoa Economy

Economy - overview: The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, and agricultural exports. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 15% of GDP; about 85,000 tourists visited the islands in 2000. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $571 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 6.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,200 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%

industry: 24%

services: 61% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.8% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 90,000 (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%; note - substantial underemployment

Budget: revenues: $74.8 million

expenditures: $81.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industries: food processing, building materials, auto parts

Industrial production growth rate: 10% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 100 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 60%

hydro: 40%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 93 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: coconuts, bananas, taro, yams

Exports: $17 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities: coconut oil and cream, copra, fish, beer

Exports - partners: American Samoa 59%, US 18%, Germany 9%, New Zealand 8% (2000 est.)

Imports: $90 million (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

Imports - partners: New Zealand 37%, Australia 24%, Fiji 14%, US 14% (2000 est.)

Debt - external: $180 million (1998 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $42.9 million (1995)

Currency: tala (WST)

Currency code: WST

Exchange rates: tala per US dollar - 3.3400 (January 2001), 3.2712 (2000), 3.0120 (1999), 2.9429 (1998), 2.5562 (1997), 2.4618 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Samoa Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 8,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,545 (February 1998)

Telephone system: general assessment: adequate

domestic: NA

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 178,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 6 (1997)

Televisions: 11,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .ws

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)

Internet users: 500 (2000)

Samoa Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 835 km

paved: 267 km

unpaved: 569 km (1983)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa

Airports: 3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2

under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.)

Samoa Military

Military branches: no regular armed services; Samoa Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Military - note: Samoa has no formal defense structure or regular armed forces; informal defense ties exist with NZ, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship

Samoa Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

======================================================================

@San Marino

San Marino Introduction

Background: The third smallest state in Europe (after The Holy See and Monaco) also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marinus in 301 A.D. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy. Social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbor.

San Marino Geography

Location: Southern Europe, an enclave in central Italy

Geographic coordinates: 43 46 N, 12 25 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 61.2 sq km

land: 61.2 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: total: 39 km

border countries: Italy 39 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool winters; warm, sunny summers

Terrain: rugged mountains

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Torrente Ausa 55 m

highest point: Monte Titano 755 m

Natural resources: building stone

Land use: arable land: 17%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 83% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Nuclear Test Ban

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution

Geography - note: landlocked; smallest independent state in Europe after the Holy See and Monaco; dominated by the Apennines

San Marino People

Population: 27,336 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 15.88% (male 2,241; female 2,100)

15-64 years: 67.94% (male 9,048; female 9,525)

65 years and over: 16.18% (male 1,902; female 2,520) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.45% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 10.76 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 7.68 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 11.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 81.23 years

male: 77.68 years

female: 85.1 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Sammarinese (singular and plural)

adjective: Sammarinese

Ethnic groups: Sammarinese, Italian

Religions: Roman Catholic

Languages: Italian

Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write

total population: 96%

male: 97%

female: 95% (1976 est.)

San Marino Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of San Marino

conventional short form: San Marino

local long form: Repubblica di San Marino

local short form: San Marino

Government type: independent republic

Capital: San Marino

Administrative divisions: 9 municipalities (castelli, singular - castello); Acquaviva, Borgo Maggiore, Chiesanuova, Domagnano, Faetano, Fiorentino, Monte Giardino, San Marino, Serravalle

Independence: 3 September 301

National holiday: Founding of the Republic, 3 September (301)

Constitution: 8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution

Legal system: based on civil law system with Italian law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: cochiefs of state Captain Regent Luigi LONFERNINI and Captain Regent Fabio BERARDI (for the period 1 April 2001-30 September 2001)

head of government: Secretary of State for Foreign and Political Affairs Gabriele GATTI (since NA July 1986)

cabinet: Congress of State elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term

elections: cochiefs of state (captain regents) elected by the Great and General Council for a six-month term; election last held NA March 2001 (next to be held NA September 2001); secretary of state for foreign and political affairs elected by the Great and General Council for a five-year term; election last held NA June 1998 (next to be held NA June 2003)

election results: Luigi LONFERNINI and Fabio BERARDI elected captain regents; percent of legislative vote - NA; Gabriele GATTI reelected secretary of state for foreign and political affairs; percent of legislative vote - NA

note: the popularly elected parliament (Grand and General Council) selects two of its members to serve as the Captains Regent (cochiefs of state) for a six-month period; they preside over meetings of the Grand and General Council and its cabinet (Congress of State) which has ten other members, all selected by the Grand and General Council; assisting the captains regent are three secretaries of state - Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Finance - and several additional secretaries; the secretary of state for Foreign Affairs has assumed many of the prerogatives of a prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral Grand and General Council or Consiglio Grande e Generale (60 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 31 May 1998 (next likely to be held by NA June 2001)

election results: percent of vote by party - PDCS 40.8%, PSS 23.3%, PPDS 18.6%, APDS 9.8%, RC 3.3%, SR 4.2%; seats by party - PDCS 25, PSS 14, PPDS 11, APDS 6, RC 2, SR 2

Judicial branch: Council of Twelve or Consiglio dei XII

Political parties and leaders: Communist Refoundation or RC [Ivan FOSHI]; Ideas in Movement or IM [Alessandro ROSSI]; San Marino Christian Democratic Party or PDCS [Pier Marino MENICUCCI]; San Marino Popular Alliance of Democrats or APDS [Mario VENTURINI]; San Marino Progressive Democratic Party or PPDS [Claudio FELICI]; San Marino Socialist Party or PSS [Augusto CASALI]; Socialists for Reform or SR [Renzo GIARDI]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: CE, ECE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WToO